X4: A Fresh Start
by ms.marie
Summary: After the 3rd movie, jean, scott, and prof. are dead. The Brotherhood is no more, and Rogue has taken the cure. But the cure fails, the brotherhood resurges, and someone runs away, only to find danger and a new love...
1. newbies

**This is a joint effort between SunsetBabe17 and ms.marie. Don't own anything. After X3, and Betsy was not on the bad side, she wasn't in that part at all. Rogue took the cure, phoenix, scott, and xavier died. it's kinda short, but we're just getting stared. Read on!**

It had been a month since the battle at Alcatraz and the death of the Phoenix. A lot of things changed around the Institute since it's founder, Charles Xavier, and two teachers, Scott Summers and Jean Grey, passed away. Ororo Munroe was now running the Institute. There were also many new additions to the school. Hanck McCoy decided to stay as the resident doctor and an X-Man. Warren Worthington III decided to take on a teaching position to help out and also became an X-Man. There was a flood of new students, with the Institute being a known safe haven for mutants.

Jubilation Lee, or Jubilee as she likes to be called, is one of the more outspoken newbies. She's a young Asian girl around Rogue's age who can produce plasma blasts of different colors from her hands, affectionately nicknamed fireworks.

Besty Braddock was another new student, also Asian, with telepathic powers, and able to produce psionic knives, but what was so unique about her was her purple hair. With the amount of students rooms had to be shared and these two became Rougue's new roommates and friends.

The X-Man, though losing two member, still grew in size with the new additions. The team consisted of Ororo Munroe a.k.a. Storm, Logan a.k.a. Wolverine, Hank McCoy a.k.a. Beast, Warren a.k.a. Angel, Bobby Drake a.k.a. Iceman, Kitty Pryde a.k.a. Shadowcat, and Piotr Rasputin a.k.a. Colossus. Rogue is not a part of the team since she no longer has her powers, making it too dangerous for her. Betsy and Jubilee are both going through the gradual process of becoming X-Men.

Which is why the two teens came staggering and stumbling into their shared bedroom, exhausted and sweaty after a danger room training session. Rogue was sitting at the desk in the room, doing her homework for Warren's art history class. Betsy plopped down on her royal purple bed, groaning. Jubilee was too tired to walk the short distance to her own bright yellow and pink bed, so she slumped down into a heap on Rogue's emerald green one. Rogue swiveled in her chair to face her two best friends. The two girls, since they were only newbies, trained with the younger x-men, learning how to hone their abilities. Yet, they weren't fully qualified x-men (women, as Jubes would insist) so they weren't allowed to go on missions yet.

"Logan run the session?" Rogue asked. The girls just groaned in response and Rogue gave a knowing smirk. Logan still wasn't into the whole 'hero' thing, but he wanted the kids to be prepared, so he trained them hard. But the girls also thought he took pleasure in seeing them miserable. Logan has always had a soft spot for Rogue, and it seems he cares for Betsy and Jubilee too. But Jubilee likes to rile him up, she likes to watch him explode. Rogue shook herself out of her thoughts and turned to look at her sparky friend, who just so happened to be laying in her bed...all sweaty and smelly.

"Hey!" Rogue cried. "Get offa mah bed, yah sweaty pig!" Jubilee slowly made her way up. Rogue picked up one of Jubes neon yellow pillows and threw it at her retreating form. "And take a shower!" Jubilee went out, down the hall, to one of the mansions many bathrooms. Unfortuanatley, everyone had to share the multiple bathrooms. Not very fun. Shortly after the one Asian left the other followed her example, in search of her own unoccupied bathroom.


	2. The other side of the tracks

**This is a joint effort between SunsetBabe17 and ms.marie. Don't own anything. After X3, and Betsy was not on the bad side, she wasn't in that part at all. Rogue took the cure, phoenix, scott, and xavier died. it's short, but it serves a purpose and we're just getting stared. Read on!**

The aftermath was very bad for the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. With the fall of their leader they were left in disarray. With Mystique and Magneto gone there was no powerful force to lead them and they disbanded. Magneto has no more cause to lead because he is now human and not a homo superior. With nothing left to do, he sits alone in the park and plays chess by himself, for his old friend is no longer around to play with him. He is careful to remain hidden, for if anyone saw him helpless and defenseless he would be ruined. No one knows what exactly happened to Mystique. Hardly anyone knows what she really looks like. You could be standing right next to her and not even realize that she was the great mutant terrorist known as Mystique. Pyro wanders alone now, a lost cause. he has nowhere to go. Sabertooth is still a criminal and is doing what he does best. Juggernaut is locked up in a state prison and was forcibly given the cure. No other group has been formed to fight for mutant superiority. They have no one to step up and lead their cause. But soon that will change...


	3. Leaving

**This is a joint effort between SunsetBabe17 and ms.marie. Don't own anything. After X3, and Betsy was not on the bad side, she wasn't in that part at all. Rogue took the cure, phoenix, scott, and xavier died. it's kinda short, but we're just getting stared. Read on!**

Jubilee and Betsy were at the mall today. They had tried to drag Rogue with them, but she just wanted to spend the day with her boyfriend, since they barely got any alone time. They were taking a walk in Storm's gardens, by the fountain, and passing Jean, Scott, and Professor Xavier's monuments. Rogue sighed, viewing the reminder of the X-Men's tumulus year. But one good thing came out of it, Rogue thought, smiling down at their joined hands. Bare skin to bare skin. No more gloves for her! After she had taken the cure, her relationship with Bobby had greatly progressed. Even though he had told her it wasn't what he wanted, she knew he greatly appreciated it. And so did she, finally being able to touch her boyfriend and express her love for him through more than words. The only downside to having taken the cure was that she could no longer be part of the X-Men team. She would only be a liability to them now. But that was okay if that was the price she had to pay for touch.

"So, graduation is only two weeks away, you excited?" Bobby asked her, breaking the silence that had descended upon them. Rogue, Bobby, Piotr, Betsy, and Jubes were all graduating this year. Kitty, being a year younger than the rest of them, still had one more year to go.

"Yeah, Ah can't wait to be done with school!" She giggled.

"And then we'll have to throw a party to celebrate," he said, nibbling her neck. "And then we can have our own little celebration." She moaned and lifted his face back up to bring him in for a deep kiss. A tingling sensation spread throughout her body.

"Ah love yah, Bobby." She knew he loved her too, not just because had had said those words to her countless time before, but now she felt as if she could literally _feel_ it. Then, the tingling intensified, and Rouge was hit with the sudden realization of what was really happening. Her powers had come back! She hastily pulled back from Bobby, but it was already too late. His blue eyes rolled back into his head, and just as the popping veins were starting to return to normal, he passed out unconscious at her sneaker clad feet. She wanted to help him, but she had no idea what to do. She was afraid of hurting him again. This newfound situation was very reminiscent of the first time she had accidentally used her powers, on her boyfriend of the time nonetheless. A pale hand covered her red lips, stifling a sob. Rogue backed away from her boyfriend, and let out a cry.

"Help! Somebody, Ah need help!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. And with a mansion full of students and staff, someone was bound to have heard her. At least, that's how she justified it, as she pivoted on her heel and sprinted away, towards the beckoning salvation of her room.

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Betsy and Jubilee were pulling up the driveway in Betsy's purple Mercedes when they heard Rogue's terrified screams. Jubilee quickly jumped out of the car as Betsy slammed the brakes and the car came to a screeching halt. They both raced to where they thought the screams were coming from. At last they arrived upon the scene to see Logan kneeling beside an unconscious Bobby, checking for a pulse. Both Asians gasped, shocked at the sight before them. With his super hearing Wolverine had heard Rogue's screams all the way inside the mansion, and once he realized it was Rogue he made a mad dash fro the gardens. Finding a pulse, he picked up the blonde boy and raced back to the Institute. With a quick glance to each other, the girls swiftly followed Wolverine. As Logan burst through the door, he shouted,

"I need some help here!"

"Oh my god! Bobby!" Kitty gasped, looking up from the book she was reading in the rec room as they passed by. Quickly she put the book down and shot out of the room to see what had happened. Piotr, who had heard Logan's shouts, pressed the call button for the hallway's elevator. With a ding the elevator doors opened. Logan quickly stepped in and closed the doors before anyone else could.

Jubilee and Betsy slammed into the now closed doors and soon after Kitty slammed into them, not realizing that they had stopped. All three girls moaned and Piotr just stood to the side and looked at them oddly.

"Ow! Why did he do that?" Jubilee yelled, as she rubbed her sore head and jabbed furiously at the elevator button with one of her hot pink nails. Betsy just glared at Kitty for running into them. Kitty just had a sheepish look on her face, embarrassed.

"Hank, I need some help!" Logan shouted, as he put Bobby down on one of the white bed in the infirmary. Hank soon came in and got to work. Bobby was stabilized but still unconscious, for how long they didn't know. The girls then came rushing in, along with Piotr. Out of breath, Kitty shakily asked the one question that was on all their minds.

"Is he okay?"

"He is fine, just unconscious for now," Hank replied, and everyone let out a sigh of relief.

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Rogue rushed into her shared room and slammed the door shut. Sagging against the closed door, she brought one pale hand up to her face, covering her tearing eyes. What was she going to do now? Her curse was back! The cure had promised her a real life, without the wretched curse of her touch, but they lied! It was supposed to be permanent…. Now she would have to go back to covering up and avoiding close contact.

Dragging herself back to her feet she slowly made her way over to her bed. Dropping to her knees beside it, she reached for the box that she knew lay underneath. Pulling it out, she opened it. Inside were her old and worn leather gloves. She had stored them away, believing that she would never have the need for them again. Yet, she couldn't bring herself to throw them away. And now it was a damn good thing she hadn't. Slipping them on she let a tear slide down her face at the familiar feel of leather against her skin. Staring at her gloved hand, she knew what she had to do.

Jumping up, she raced to her closet. After a few minutes of sorting through the mess, she came out with the object of her search. She threw the black duffel onto her emerald bed. Jamming her clothes into it, and other necessities, she only had one thought in mind. Yes, tonight, she was going to leave the sanctity of the Xavier Institute.

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Darkness had crept over the room as day fell into night. Kitty was sitting next the bed that held Bobby, holding his large hand in her small one. She knew that there was nothing she could do to help him, but she liked to believe that her presence beside him was of some help in itself. Really, it should be Rogue down here, Kitty thought. What kind of a girlfriend was she? First, she had put her boyfriend here (at least, that was what they had come up when they discussed what had happened, and she hadn't come forward to say otherwise) and then she never even comes to visit him! But that was okay, at least he had her. She would stay with him.

But as the darkness grew, Kitty had decided she had better head on to bed, lest she get into trouble for staying up after curfew hours.

"Sweet dreams Bobby," she kissed him lightly on the cheek and then made her exit. As she left, another figure came out of the darkness, pressing a gloved hand to the glass that separated her from the boy in the room. She had watched Kitty while she was sitting in there. It was obvious that the girl still had a crush, but she hadn't acted on it because of Rogue.

"Oh Bobby," Rogue sighed as she took in the sight of him lying pale in the white hospital bed. It would be better for everyone now if she left. She couldn't face the fact that she had hurt her boyfriend, even if it wasn't really her fault. Turning her back on the one boy that truly loved her, she made her way to the front door. Even though she was going as quietly as possible, she knew that Logan could most likely still hear her. But he would understand, and he wasn't going to try and stop her. After all, it would be pretty darn hypocritical if he did. Without even glancing back, Rogue walked out the front door and headed towards the train station. Where she was going to go, she did not know, but it was time she made a new life for herself.


End file.
